Vatileaks

VATICAN CITY (RNS) A Vatican judge sentenced Pope Benedict's former butler to 18 months in jail for stealing the pontiff's private papers and leaking them to the press. But a Vatican spokesman said that a papal pardon is highly likely. By Alessandro Speciale.

VATICAN CITY (RNS) The Vatican police, known as the Gendarmeria, has come into the spotlight in the so-called Vatileaks trial, and not just for the alleged abuse against Pope Benedict's former butler. Founded only in 1971, its role has grown significantly in the Vatican in recent years. By Alessandro Speciale.

VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Benedict XVI's former butler said he was held for weeks in a cell where he couldn't “even stretch his arms'' and where his light was kept constantly on. Paolo Gabriele pleaded not guilty to stealing the pope's private papers, but said he had betrayed the pope's trust. By Alessandro Speciale.

VATICAN CITY (RNS) The pope's former butler goes to trial on Saturday, an unprecedented test for the legal system of the world's smallest state — and a chance to restore the Vatican's credibility. By Alessandro Speciale.

(RNS) Pope Benedict XVI's butler will stand trial for stealing the pope's private papers and leaking them to the press. According to an indictment sentence by a Vatican judge, Paolo Gabriele said he acted feeling like an agent of the Holy Spirit. By Alessandro Speciale.

ST. LOUIS (RNS) In his new job as the Vatican's senior communications adviser, Fox News reporter Greg Burke, 52, will be counseling Pope Benedict XVI and his closest staff on how to better project the Catholic Church's image to the rest of the world. By Tim Townsend.

VATICAN CITY (RNS) For the past four months, the Vatican has been in turmoil over the publication of several internal memos in the Italian press and in a bestselling book. The case led to the unprecedented arrest of the pope's butler, but is it possible to distinguish fact from fiction in this not-so-holy whodunit? By Alessandro Speciale.

VATICAN CITY (RNS) As the trial begins for the pope's former butler, the court system of the world's smallest nation comes into the spotlight. And sentences are less harsh than one might expect. By Alessandro Speciale.

VATICAN CITY (RNS) Leaks of confidential Vatican documents continue as self-professed “moles” inside the Vatican vow to continue their action until the pope's two closest aides are sacked. By Alessandro Speciale.